Conley "London" Parris (May 25, 1931 – September 7, 1992) was an American
southern gospel bass singer, famous for his associations with
The Blackwood Brothers
The Blackwood Brothers are an American southern gospel quartet. Pioneers of the Christian music industry, they are 8-time Grammy Award winners in addition to winning 7 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. They are also members of the Memphis ...
and hit songs such as "Heaven Came Down". He was inducted into the
Southern Gospel Hall of Fame
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
in 2004.
Biography and career
Conley Parris was born on May 25, 1931 in the United States. Named “London” by
Lee Roy Abernathy
Lee Roy Abernathy (1913–1993) was a Southern gospel music musician, songwriter, and performer.
Biography
Abernathy was born on August 13, 1913, in the Atco community of Cartersville, Bartow County, Georgia.
He married Louise Ammons, and th ...
of
The Homeland Harmony Quartet, he started singing
gospel music in The Rebels Quartet when he replaced bass singer Big Jim Waits.
Parris joined
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely aroun ...
pioneers The Blackwood Brothers in the late 1960s during their post-
Sumner era.
With The Blackwood Brothers he released many albums and went on to win two
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s for
Best Gospel Performance with their album ''In Gospel Country'' in 1969 at the
12th Annual Grammy Awards
The 12th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 11, 1970. They recognized accomplishments of musicians for the year 1969.
Award winners
*Grammy Award for Record of the Year, Record of the Year
**Bones Howe (producer) & The 5th Dimension for "Aqu ...
and again in 1972 for ''L-O-V-E'' at the
15th Annual Grammy Awards
The 15th Annual Grammy Awards were held on March 3, 1973, at the Tennessee Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee. The event was the first Grammy ceremony not to be held in either New York City or Los Angeles (the 64th Grammys, staged in Las Vegas in 2 ...
, the 1970 Album of the Year award for ''Fill My Cup, Lord'' at the
2nd GMA Dove Awards, and many other awards.
In 1971 he started his own group, London Parris and The Apostles, which won the Dove Award for the Most Promising New Gospel Talent at the
4th GMA Dove Awards in 1972.
Parris and his wife Yvonne had two sons, Christopher and David, and one daughter, Kathy.
He died on 7 September 1992.
Parris was a consummate performer with a large, booming bass voice and a dynamic personality that made him a crowd favorite.
He was famous for his renditions of "At the Crossing" and "
Little Boy Lost", but "Heaven Came Down" and "Everybody Ought to Know" are his signature songs.
In 2004, he was posthumously inducted into the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame, operated at
Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly ...
, in
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Par ...
, by the
Southern Gospel Music Association
The Southern Gospel Music Association (''SGMA'') is a non-profit corporation formed as an association of southern gospel music singers, songwriters, fans, and industry workers. Membership is acquired and maintained through payment of annual dues. T ...
.
Discography
;As London Parris
;As London Parris & the Goss Brothers
;With The Blackwood Brothers Quartet
;As London Parris and the Apostles
;With Jackie Marshall
See also
*
The Blackwood Brothers discography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parris, London
1931 births
1992 deaths
20th-century American singers
20th-century American male singers
American gospel singers
American basses
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
Southern gospel performers